Thierry Henry has hailed former Manchester United midfielder Paul Scholes as the best Premier League player of all time.

In a selection that will surprise some, Arsenal legend Henry opted against the likes of Ryan Giggs, Alan Shearer and Cristiano Ronaldo to plump for a player underrated by many.

Replying to Kay Burley's question in an interview on Sky News, Henry said: 'I would have to go Paul Scholes.

Former Arsenal striker and current Sky Sports pundit Thierry Henry was interviewed on Sky News on Monday

Henry (right, pictured in 2003) says Paul Scholes (centre) is the best Premier League player of all time

Henry told Sky presenter Kay Burley that Scholes 'could do anything' with the ball and was underrated

'I don't think people have given him the credit he deserves. (He's) one of the best, if not the best, I've played against, he could do anything. Unfortunately for him, when he was playing for the national team, for England, sometimes people didn't see it like that.

'If I had a Paul Scholes in my team, everything would be around him. At Manchester United, they saw it like that, but I think Paul Scholes is one of the best I've played against in this league, and seen anywhere.'

Share this article

By those within the game, Scholes is a regular choice when asked for a list of the best Premier League players, but he is sometimes overlooked by fans.

Those with goals - Shearer, Henry himself, Dennis Bergkamp - are often pushed higher on the list of supporters' polls, but Scholes' talent did not go unnoticed.

Scholes (right) and Henry went up against each other on many occasions while playing in the Premier League

In a 2011 interview, Barcelona legend Xavi (left) said Scholes was the best midfield player of the last 20 years

Barcelona legend Xavi, widely regarded as one of the best to ever grace a pitch, once labelled Scholes 'the best midfield player in the last 20 years'.

In a 2011 interview, he said: 'In the last 15 to 20 years the best central midfielder that I have seen — the most complete — is Scholes. I have spoken with Xabi Alonso about this many times. Scholes is a spectacular player who has everything.

'He can play the final pass, he can score, he is strong, he never gets knocked off the ball and he doesn't give possession away. If he had been Spanish then maybe he would have been valued more.'

Henry believes Scholes (centre, at Euro 2004) was underrated while playing for the England national team

Nowadays, Scholes has turned his hand to punditry, and is a stakeholder in Manchester-based Salford City